


Sink like the Sun Goes Down

by VigilanteFlower



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Angst, BDSM, Bad BDSM Etiquette, Eventual Romance, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Switching, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-22
Updated: 2016-05-03
Packaged: 2018-06-03 17:34:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6619894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VigilanteFlower/pseuds/VigilanteFlower
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A rumour reaches Kylo Ren's ears that tells him another student in the academy is practicing dark magic, something he's always wanted to know more about.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Rumour Has It

“No. You are not borrowing my telescope. Get out of my room.” Ren wrapped his hands protectively around the barrel of his precious telescope as if Poe were going to dart in and try to make off with it as fast as possible. Poe’s shoulders sagged in the doorway to his bedroom, his thick brows falling to each side and scrunching up the middle of his forehead as he threw his hands out, pleading for his friend’s help. 

“C’mon Ren, mine’s broken and I have that huge assignment due on Tuesday.” Ren’s frown deepened and he let go of the sleek black scope before slipping off the side of the stool he’d been precariously perched on while completing his own homework. There wasn’t a trace of sympathy on his face as he took a hold of the doorknob and began closing it on the handsome second year. 

This wasn’t the first time Poe had shown up at his door looking desperate for help with something academic. They had been roommates for two years now at Amidala Academy, a university that prided itself on a flawless integration of modern science and the magical arts. It also happened to be the namesake of his grandmother. She had opened the school before her days as senator. Though it had remained in the hands of a trusted family friend for several years, it eventually went to Ren’s mother, Leia Organa. His grandmother had died young, not long after his grandfather had left her, and Leia was adopted shortly after that. The court had not found Anakin fit to father her and his uncle, Luke. But that was all in the past, and Ren hated to dwell on the past. Despite that, he really did it far too much. Right now, he had to concentrate on dealing with a pesky Poe on his metaphorical doorstep.

“Absolutely not. You broke yours and I’m not letting you do the same to my grandfather’s telescope. Now leave, Dameron.” Poe’s hand came up with a sharp smack against the outside of the thick wooden door that lead to the only part of their shared dorm room that Ren could call his own. Poe’s face popped into the gap in such a way that it made Ren draw back sharply, a twitch of disgust tugging at his lip due to the momentary proximity. He hated how much Poe disregarded the personal space of others, always clapping people on the back or leaning over a shoulder. It gave Ren horrible shivers of disdain. 

“Hey! Wait, I’ll make you a deal.” There was an unmistakable edge of panic to Poe’s voice, and Ren knew why. Poe hadn’t exactly been keeping up on his course work so far and they were coming up on midterms soon. He needed these assignment points in order to make up for his poor scholarly enthusiasm. But, Ren liked the sound of him possibly getting something out of this exchange, so he stopped closing the door on his unwanted companion. The taller man gave no more indication of his interest than that, not even a change in expression.

Poe’s breath picked up slightly and he nervously glanced around the room behind him, despite it being their private quarters. 

“Look…” He paused, bringing his eyes back to Ren’s once again and lowering his voice into a whisper, accompanied by a very pointed look. “Between you and me…I know you’ve been looking up stuff about dark magic…”

Ren’s jaw clenched tight, the muscles growing taut and sticking out more prominently along the strong column of his neck. 

“If you’re about to try and blackmail me, Dameron-“ His hand balled up into a fist as his temper rose, he did not appreciate being threatened. Poe brought a hand up in quick defense, panic evident on his face.

“Ah, ah! Hold up, man. Hear me out.” Ren didn’t back down, but he at least stopped advancing long enough to listen.

Poe’s volume dropped into a conspiratorial whisper once again.

“I just saw what you left open in the incognito tabs on the iPad, you should really make sure to close those. I wasn’t snooping around or anything, and I’m not trying to blackmail you.” He brought both hands up in a gesture that resembled the giving of a gift, “What I _am_ trying to do, is give you a little helpful information about where you might find some guidance for that stuff, in exchange, I want to use your telescope. So…are we cool?” The brunette’s eyebrows peaked up towards his hairline as his chin tilted downward, a look that made Ren half expect the shorter man to start elbowing him goofily. There was a long pause and Ren slowly uncurled his fingers as he considered the proposition. He would have to remember to close his tabs next time…

“…Tell me what you know and I will give you my assignment to copy, but you are still not putting your hands on my telescope.” The compromise was stern and his eyes communicated the simple message of ‘take it or leave it’.

Poe put his hands up and the corners of his lips turned down comically as he gave his response, “Fair enough, I can deal with that.” He clapped his hands together and leaned in a second time. Ren was not fond of his closeness, but wanted badly to know what Dameron knew about dark magic, the guy was as light hearted as they came. 

“So there’s been some rumours around the botany crew, the really quiet kind, about this third year in the program who they think might be messing around with some pretty intense stuff. Not too bad by the sounds of it but, ya know,” he waved his hands in circles and pulled an uncomfortable, scrunched expression, “some unethical shit. I guess he has some sketchy experiments running up in the third floor bio labs. His name’s Hux, don’t know his first name, but I could find out if you want.”

Ren did his best to hide the eagerness with which he listened to Poe’s recollection of the recent rumour. Was it possible that in his mother’s perfect, precious little school of science and magic, there was someone else interested in the darker side of their world? He’d spent so much time alone in his thoughts and musings about the possibilities and uses of the less pleasant side of magic that the idea of a companion, or even a _mentor_ , was the most thrilling thing he’d heard in years. 

The name Hux was one he’d heard before, but they weren’t in the same program, or the same year. If he gave it more thought, he was pretty sure he could figure out which person it was he’d passed in the cafeteria on some day or another. 

“No need, I can find out myself. Don’t speak a word of this to anyone or I’ll make sure all your profs know you’ve been cheating off me.” Without sparing Poe’s indignant expression another moments glance, he shut the bedroom door. A few seconds later he heard a sigh through the heavy oak door, followed by the pattering of his roommate’s bare feet across the chilled hardwood.

The muscles in Ren’s hands pulsed with tension as he stared at the gift his grandfather had left to him, sitting atop its sturdy tripod in the window. Anakin had not only been an accomplished astronomer in his days, but the man had taken a career change part way through his life and delved deeply into the necromantic arts. That was putting it quite gently considering how highly illegal the practice was, but it had allowed him to reach a level of power that had eventually been his undoing, as well as his grandmother’s. Ren wouldn’t make that same mistake. If he could harness that kind of power for himself, the power to raise people from the dead, then maybe…

He had to get back to work, he needed to stop thinking about it. This was a good lead; maybe this mysterious third year had a mentor somewhere on campus. How else would he be dabbling into something that was so forbidden there were no legal texts about it? All Ren could do was follow blogs about the subject, and even then there was never any actual instruction, they were more like fan pages. He’d seen posts about his grandfather’s accomplishments pop up more than once and it always filled him with a sense of pride and motivation to some day be on that page with him. 

Ren sat back on the stool that accompanied his telescope and started planning. He needed to figure out how to approach this stranger and introduce his real interest without completely outing himself, incase Poe was wrong. Ren’s strong suit had absolutely never been dealing with people, that was a major part of why he’d started learning about mind reading as a young teen. It was one of those questionably ethical subsets of telekinetics and charms, something he had always had a real talent for. 

Some techniques were used in things like law enforcement and mental health care, but special certification, training, and regular professional reviews always accompanied it. The strict rules were a result of it too easily becoming a power trip that negatively affected everyone involved. Ren knew all too well about how quickly it could get out of hand, but that was behind him, and he was over it. He was.

He’d been taking it further than was legally permitted and had gotten good enough at controlling it to start wiping away the trivial memories of passersby. It had become something of a pastime for him. It wasn’t anything serious, just making people forget where they were going, or why they were going there. Nobody really noticed, but it gave him the chance to practice altering memories, not just reading them. And really, the mastery came in the little things; pinpointing strictly segregated memories he wanted to alter, and doing so without a trace. Precision was powerful when it came to tricks of the mind. Though, keeping calm enough to do it was a problem that still plagued him, no matter how many therapy sessions his mother made him go through. She still hadn’t managed to convince him to go by his real name in her school. It wasn’t as if they had the same last name to begin with, but Ren didn’t want any chance of the other students discovering his familial connection to the president of the university. It wasn’t entirely for the reasons she thought either. But that was his business, not hers, and not any nosey therapists either. 

Ren took his telescope back in hand as a small, private grin tugged at his lips. Maybe if meeting this Hux guy went well, he wouldn’t have to deal with another damn question and answer session about his mental state ever again. He hated their prying, that was what he did, and he didn’t appreciate having to put up with the shoe being on the other foot.

It was well into the night already, but tomorrow Ren would find Hux, and he _would_ make the older student tell him what he knew, if it came to that. A not so small part of Ren hoped it would. There was something exceptionally thrilling about the idea of forcing information from a man who would never remember he’d divulged his darkest secrets to a total stranger. It made Ren lick his lips in anticipation before his personal need for approval drove him back to completing his homework. As the dark haired man flipped through the pages of his sky map, he thought about how tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.


	2. Dripping Fruit

Kylo Ren’s feet carried him down a corridor that was the entire length of the northeastern wing. It was lined with towering, taper-topped windows that looked out onto the perpetually damp foliage of the schools’ main courtyard. The botany students had control of what grew there, so to say the plant life was varied would be an understatement. They also had a way of making things grow out of season that made even the winter months uncharacteristically floral. Ren thought it was ridiculous to spend all that energy on making the garden pretty when they should be doing something more useful with it. At least make it all edible or something. Still, he looked out at the colourful tiers of stone edged flowerbeds until he caught his own eye in the reflection from the swiftly passing windowpanes. He quickly cast his gaze to the unpolished floor instead.

 

Ren had spent his morning awkwardly trying to overhear conversations in the cafeteria about who this Hux guy was, but ultimately, he had to cave and ask Dameron for help. That had resulted in yet another run in with that horrible, overly charming grin of his. At least the failing astronomer had come back an hour later with some decent information, even if it had been unsettlingly easy to find.

 

It turned out that Hux was pretty well known to the older students who had to compete against him for scholarships, because he was notoriously good at getting them. Most people seemed to resent that because the botanist’s family was one of the main contributors to the school’s financial statements. The only reason people didn’t complain more openly was because it was apparently very obvious that Hux was, indeed, somewhat of a genius. Nobody could claim he was getting it purely due to some handy networking and a little familial assistance. There were some mutterings about what happened to those who tried… Ren could respect a man who knew how to take care of those who questioned and doubted him.

 

As Ren got lost in his conceptualizing what the mysterious, rich genius might look like; his jaunt up to the third floor came to a quicker end than expected. The other essential piece of information that Dameron had gotten for him was that if Hux wasn’t in his class or the library, he was probably in the third floor bio lab, a spot that everyone else avoided. The student population had dropped a bit over the years as families had fewer kids, so there were enough labs to satisfy the rest of the botany program without having to deal with their top student and his apparent lack of compassion and consideration for other’s homework, if it got in his way. Dameron had mentioned a situation involving a garbage can and some elemental fire magic. That boded well for Ren’s suspicion that the rumours could be true, and he tried to ignore the part of his brain telling him not to get his hopes up. It was exactly the kind of rumour that would spread about someone with a nasty streak.

 

Ren’s thick-soled black boots made a final, heavy thud against the floor as he stopped in front of the windowless door. He cleared his throat in anticipation and adjusted the center of his thick black belt so that its gunmetal grey, raven shaped clasp was exactly where it should be. He plucked up at the sides of his loosely fitted shirt so that it didn’t scrunch up and look twisted from his shifting belt any more. The astronomer’s large hands combed through his lax curls to achieve a rough semblance of order before adjusting his smoky grey cowl.

 

He was stalling now.

 

There was potentially a man on the other side of this door that could supply him with teachings he’d wanted for more than a decade. Ren had debated with himself over and over about how possible it was to find a way to learn about the magic necessary to follow his grandfather’s legacy. Those arguments usually ended in him feeling defeated and depressed, as the realization came again that dark warlocks were not easy to find, let alone easy to convince to take him on as an apprentice. It was a dream he’d had for so long, but was never sure he would achieve. Maybe now, he could.

 

It took Ren another moment, but finally he reached out, wrapping his long fingers around the chilled metal knob, and turning it. The click of the lock sliding free of the doorframe made his heart jump into his throat before the wooden slab swung open easily. Ren had never been to the botany labs before, he had no need of plants, the stars were all his, but what was revealed to him was undeniably interesting to take in.

 

There were three long, perpendicular counters barely to the left of the door, with a fourth lining the back wall in the opposite orientation, just in front of the door. All of them had shelves that stopped about half way to the raised ceiling, with metal polls bridging the rest of the gap and bolted in place. There were long cords with spray nozzles at the end dangling above each workstation, presumably to water the plants that lined the shelves. Then there was the most eye catching part of all this. The tall windows, like the ones in the hall three floors below, lined the wall opposite the door and shed a significant amount of light onto the amazing array of vegetation lining every shelf in the room. There were various shapes and sizes of terrarium interspersed amongst the bare plants, and the polls leading to the ceiling had been utilized for growing various kinds of vines, some flowering, some currently drooping as heavy bundles of fruit practically dripped from them.

 

There seemed to be a thick, damp weight to the air in the room as Ren walked in and realized the wall to the left of the door was lined with mirrors that reflected the light from the window back onto the darker side of the shelving. He closed the door behind him and looked around carefully, not yet seeing anyone behind the surprisingly effective walls of plants.

 

His boots made his approach obvious as he took his time heading towards the back of the room, where his ears had just caught the sound of someone tapping metal against glass. Ren’s heart was pounding too rapidly to be comfortable as he made the final turn around the end of the counter.

 

There sat a young man with perfectly groomed red hair, not too much product, and not too little, which was evident in its’ complete lack of flyways. He was pale with a sharp silhouette, a fact made all the more obvious by the bright light at his back and his entirely black ensemble. It was form fitted and looked to be high quality. The shirt had a rounded collar and a plain leather belt broke the boundary between top and bottom at his hip. The only thing that stood out was a stark white apron protecting his front from the work before him.

 

The man, presumably Hux, was holding a vile up in front of his face with a fine pair of onyx gloves covering his hands, observing what had happened to it since Ren had entered the room. There was a plethora of unfamiliar apparatuses in front of him; one in particular seemed to be boiling lazily. Hux put the vile back on the rack and crossed his arms, leaning forward and resting them on the edge of the counter before looking up at the darkly clothed form of his unexpected companion. The botanist’s lips pursed the smallest bit and his brows shifted downward almost imperceptibly.

 

“Who are you, and what are you doing in my lab?” His voice wasn’t particularly angry, or relaxed, more like disinterested, though Ren suspected he was actually very keen to know why a complete stranger had waltzed into his usually undisturbed space. Ren was a little surprised by how vibrant and mossy the green of his eyes were. He supposed it was appropriate.

 

“Are you Hux?” He asked simply. That was the first thing he needed to clarify. A finely haired red brow arched up in response.

 

“Yes, and unless you’re here to bring me a caf, I suggest you turn your clacky little boots around and walk right back out that door.” He brought his hand up to gesture with his encased fingers towards the door.

 

“I do not entertain underclassmen.” Hux tucked his hand back down under the fold of his other arm. Ren did not appreciate the dismissive direction, but he was here for a reason and he was going to get as much as he could out of this, so he didn’t budge.

 

“I’ve heard word that we may…have a mutual interest in certain things.” He wanted to start off vague; it wouldn’t be good if Hux were aligned with the light and simply a jerk, instead of dabbling into dark magic. This initial introduction caused both of the ginger’s light brows to rise towards his hairline.

 

“Oh really? I highly doubt you have much in common with _me_.” Hux seemed unbelieving, as well as unsure of where this conversation was going. He had a few ideas, but nothing concrete yet.

 

“And I think you’re wrong.” The response was quick and Ren saw a flicker of something he wasn’t sure of in Hux’s eyes, maybe the fire of a challenge. Ren took the other man’s silence, waiting for some proof behind the statement, as an opportunity to extend his perception towards the other student’s consciousness.

 

“I can sense it in you.” The astronomer’s eyes narrowed slightly as he focused. “You’re not as…clean as these other fools. You seek more power than this ridiculous institution can offer.”

Hux’s spine straightened and his arms slowly slipped off the counter into his lap as he sucked in a deep breath and finally took the time to look his counterpart over. It was scrutinizing, intense. Eventually, he met Ren’s eyes and a small but shockingly menacing rise happened at the corner of his mouth.

 

“So that’s what you’re here about.” He took in a deep breath a little at a time and let it out in a hum through his nose, as he looked Kylo over again.

 

“Do you understand what you’re asking about? Expressing this interest could land you in a very bad situation.” There was something of a threat to his words, not just a warning, but Ren nodded silently, regardless.

 

“Yes, perhaps I was wrong, you don’t exactly seem the type to do anything…lightly.” Hux’s stare was pointed and Ren’s brow creased as he realized there was a joke somewhere in there. The seated man placed a hand on the counter and slid off the lip of the stool, dragging his hand down the smooth surface as he walked towards Ren, who was only a few inches taller. He stopped barely a foot away, a distance that Ren generally preferred to be much wider, but it felt different from when someone like Poe or Rey did it, this was an assessment.

 

“Lets put it right out in the open. You want to study dark magic, am I right? And you’re looking for me to teach you what I know?” He seemed a little too smug for the astronomer’s liking, but he would need to put up with it.

 

“Yes.” He met Hux’s stare and held it easily, which he suspected wasn’t something people often did with the shorter man.

 

“Well, you can’t expect me to do that for free, now can you?” He grinned and backed up half a step. Ren froze inside, he did have money of his own, but probably not enough to satisfy a rich man like Hux. He couldn’t ask his mother for money on a good day, how would he manage this? It was the first time he appeared shaken.

 

“I…how much would you want?” He needed to know that. But instead of receiving a number, he received a very unexpected, and not entirely kind, laugh.

 

“Don’t be ridiculous, I have enough money. That’s not what I want from you.” This took Ren quite off guard, but at the same time, it was a relief that he would not have to go to Leia and make up a silly lie about wanting some kind of expensive astronomy gear.

 

“You see, I don’t care for building personal relationships with people unless they benefit me. As a result, some of my needs are not always met, and being out here in this rather isolated school, while having its perks, doesn’t exactly aid in that. If you want to learn about dark magic, I’m going to need to know how much you really want it, how dedicated you are.” Hux’s eyes narrowed, and there was something about it that confirmed for Ren that this was real, not some third year messing around with him, or just trying to earn a reputation.

 

“What do you want? I need to learn more, my dedication is greater than you know.” His gut was twisting, and he was glad to have maintained his usual stoic expression throughout the exchange so far. Hux seemed mildly amused by Ren’s answer and he reached over to pluck a stray thread off of the other man’s sleeve, flicking it away.

 

“You _need_ to, do you? That’s good. So you would suffer humiliation, pain, isolation, all manner of things to get this knowledge?” He looked at him with a decidedly casual expression, as if he was asking him whether he preferred vanilla or chocolate pudding.

 

“Even…of a sexual nature, perhaps?” Hux tilted his head quizzically, the air of normalcy still present. The twisting in Kylo’s stomach turned into more of a tense, constricting feeling at the idea of facing these things in exchange for teaching.

 

In all his year of searching, no opportunity had been as promising as this. It would be so simple, pretend Hux was tutoring him in some random subject they had in common and nobody would bother to ask more questions so long as he made his grades go up in that course. But, humiliation, pain….

 

Pain wasn’t exactly foreign to him, he could deal with that, and isolation was almost something he preferred. It was the humiliation he had little desire to experience again. And then there was Hux’s comment about sex…Ren had very little experience in that area, he was someone who related perfectly to Hux’s earlier comment about not having a liking for interpersonal relationships. It was dirty, and leant itself greatly to the humiliation portion of the proposed challenges. However, would he put up with that in exchange for instruction in the dark arts? Absolutely.

 

“I would, I’d face all of it.” His expression was unwavering despite the pause of consideration that came right before it. Hux’s earlier show of amusement changed into a sense of pleased success as he looked at Ren and plucked an iPhone from his pocket.

 

“Perfect. Then it sounds like we have reached an agreement.” Ren wasn’t completely clear on the consensus they had reached, but having apparently gotten to it, his excitement skyrocketed and he had real trouble keeping himself from showing it in some way. Hux managed to catch the exhilarated look in his eyes and the way the corners of Ren’s mouth twitched upward while a very audible breath was inhaled. This was going to be interesting.

 

“Give me your number.” Ren did so immediately as Hux typed it into the contacts of his phone before pausing and looking up at the darker haired man.

 

“What’s your name?”

 

“Kylo Ren.” It was of course the lie he told everyone, but he saw no need to disclose his true identity to this man either. Hux looked back at his phone and typed it in before pocketing the device.

 

“I think this kind of professional arrangement will suit me quite well.” Hux seemed pleased, smug even, as if he’d won some kind of bet.

 

“I will text you when I’m ready to begin. Until then,” Ren wondered if he was about to get some kind of first direction and leaned forward in anticipation, “get out of my lab.”

 

Ren wasn’t totally able to hide the indignant lift of his top lip or the slight glare he delivered to the other man, while Hux simply quirked a brow.

 

“You’re going to need to learn how to obey me if you plan on getting anywhere with this. I have no patience for defiance.” Hux’s tone promised a quick reduction of his previous offers. Ren felt the bite of panic.

 

“Yes, I’ll…do better.” Perhaps if he thought a bit differently of this, like he did with academics, it could be very gratifying to receive some praise from the botanist. Hux smiled, not with the menacing form of before.

 

“Good. Now, I need to get back to work. I will text you.” He nodded towards the door. Ren felt better this time and decided that he was right, Hux’s approval could be something he enjoyed getting.

 

“All right.” Ren stepped away from the edge of the counter and didn’t hesitate as he left the lab. There were no goodbyes.


	3. Struggling to Bloom

Ren had spent the last two days anxiously checking his phone every few minutes, despite its ability to vibrate and ring when a message was received. He was severely on edge and seemed to constantly be thinking about something else. This went unnoticed because it was practically indistinguishable from his every day behaviour. Those around him were left completely unaware that his irritation and impatience had increased significantly with the realization that, while Hux had his number, he had not gotten Hux’s.

Had he been wrong about the other man’s intentions? Was this actually just some cruel joke? If it was, he might be inclined to compliment Hux, shortly before wringing his neck. Ren wouldn’t even have to use his hands; telekinetic ability was a forte of his, after all.

Ren was seated precariously on the edge of a chair in one of the schools older lecture halls. He was attempting to stay focused on the professor’s explanation of how they could use the waning of the moon to their advantage when practicing spells that fed off it’s energy. Which was all fine and good, but that was part of the problem, he believed that more power could be drawn from inside of ones’ self.

It was the way of most commonly taught magics that the energy needed to cast was drawn from the natural world around them. That way, things like jealousy or anger, or even physical pain, did not influence it, making it harder to control. Emotions did have a tendency to be unstable, particularly when dealing with the more intense portions of the spectrum.

Ren thought they were all fools for limiting themselves in such a way. He wasn’t sure if his professors noticed, because he didn’t want to risk them finding out he was sifting through their minds, but he often broke that fundamental rule. It was part of why he was doing so well. He had effectively proved his own theory by harnessing the power inside of himself and directing it outward in all manner of ways.

Unfortunately, he had realized after a few test runs that he wasn’t nearly good enough at controlling the surges of emotion that brought that power to the surface. Some of the other students knew about Ren’s infamous tantrums and they wondered how he got away with it. Of course, they didn’t know he always received a scolding from his mother whenever it happened. She couldn’t bring herself to expel Ren from the school. It was technically going to belong to him after Leia’s retirement. Though, there had been more than one conversation in which Leia had expressed uncertainty about Ren taking it over, she hadn’t yet threatened to give it to someone else. He generally tried to avoid talking to his mother about anything, let alone the subject of taking over the family business, so to speak.

Kylo’s attention was brought back from his daydreaming very suddenly as the cell phone in his pants pocket vibrated. His heart shot up into his throat as he pulled it halfway out to sneak a peek at the name of the texter. When he read an unfamiliar number, rather than a name, his jaw clenched and he glanced up at the professor to make sure her attention was far away from him. Ren pulled the phone out completely and slid his thumb across it to unlock the phone.

_ Your first session will be tonight. Come to the lab at 9, sharp. I am sure it is obvious that you are not to let anyone know where you are going or why. _

Hux hadn’t introduced himself in the text; he knew Ren would quickly figure out who it was. There was something obnoxious about the overly formal way that Hux texted, but at least he was concise. Ren wasn’t exactly one for small talk. Being straight to the point suited him much better.

**_I’ll be there._ **

He attempted to return his attention to the lecture after that, but found it even more arduous than before. Ren spent the rest of class checking his phone incessantly, but no reply came. He supposed it wasn’t necessary, but he was anxious and excited about what the night would bring. The day wasn’t over yet, there were still two classes that afternoon. Ren wasn’t keen on bothering to attend them when he knew how much trouble he would have focusing. Still, it was better he go to them instead of hanging around his dorm, staring at the sluggish minutes crawling by on his clock.

By the time he made it back to the dorm, it was dinner and he had absolutely no desire to go meander around the cafeteria with other students. Instead, he went to their little kitchenette and had a bowl of cereal while he sat and did his homework. Ren wanted to have it all done before going to the lab, because he’d been given no indication of exactly how long this was going to take. Part of him hoped it went until morning so he could sleep through the day and potentially go for another session that night. Kylo quickly decided to make sure Hux didn’t find out just how thrilled he was to begin his training.

Part of him knew that it was a bit ridiculous to be getting excited about these sessions when he had no idea what was in store for him. He simply preferred to ignore that part of his reasonable consciousness for now.

He’d been right about how slowly time would tick by, and eventually Poe came back from whatever he’d been doing. Ren chose to hide out in his room instead of face the overly friendly astronomer. Eventually, 8:30 rolled around and Ren was up, zipping on his boots and listening to make sure Poe was in his own room as well. When he deemed the living room was safe to go through without being noticed, he did. Instead of grabbing the handle and pushing the door closed, Ren lifted his hand and used his magic to ease the bolt over quietly and slide the frame into its place without a sound. Then he was off.

Ren tried to keep his stride even because it wasn’t really that far to the third floor of the botany wing, and at least while he was moving time would go by a bit quicker. His boots brought him to the imposing door of the lab practically on muscle memory alone. A quick check of his phone told him that there was still seven minutes left. He fidgeted with the edges of his cowl and then his shirt. This was ridiculously excruciating.

Finally, another glance told him it was 9pm exactly, and without an ounce of hesitation he shoved the door open and stepped inside. It was with more gusto than he’d intended, but he’d always had a flare for the dramatic, which he would not admit to.

Hux sat at the station nearest the door, a nozzle in his hand. The red head appeared to be watering each specimen that lined the shelves. His attention had been drawn to the opened door all at once and he let the nozzle go after acknowledging that it was, indeed, his expected visitor. The hose seemed to have some kind of spring to it as it shrunk up and lifted toward the ceiling, away from the heads of any students who sported a few extra inches.

“Good. You’ve arrived on time.” There was a touch of surprise in Hux’s voice. He hadn’t thought Ren was the perfectly punctual type, but was glad to see he’d been wrong about that. Hux walked over and removed his apron, which he then hung neatly next to the door, where Ren still stood. The tall, darkly dressed man peered silently down at his companion, completely unsure of how to address a man he didn’t fully understand his relationship with. Hux met his gaze with a frown and a moment of his own silence.

“Well? Aren’t you going to say something? It’s rude to stare.” Ren hadn’t expected such an aggressive prompt and opened his mouth to say something, only to watch as Hux turned and began heading to the back corner of the room.

“Never mind. Follow me.” Ren’s mouth snapped shut and immediately his teeth ground together. Hux was infuriating already. Ren was glad that he hadn’t had to deal with the impertinent and sharp-tongued redhead up until now. Nevertheless, he followed, albeit with clenched fists.

He took wide strides as he made his way up behind Hux, who had stopped and waved his hand dismissively at the door while muttering a small incant that Ren didn’t quite catch. The sound of sliding bolts could be heard in response to the gesture and Ren realized that the original lock had been replaced by something far more modern and secure. It didn’t take much to realize that Hux must have put it there. Clearly, he didn’t want anyone getting past it. Ren had a sneaking suspicion it opened by way of Hux alone.

The door was pushed free of the threshold and Ren followed his partner into a room that he suspected was once intended to be an office for the professor that ran the conjoined lab. It was fairly large, having been made to accommodate a large collection of texts and specimens. However, there were no plants in this room, except for a small potted one on the corner of the desk. It seemed to be struggling to bloom. 

The lighting was dim and the colours of the wooden furniture were dark, rich chocolates. It created a stark contrast to the room before it. The desk with the barely budding plant was just to the left of the door and the other walls were lined with various books on what Ren assumed was probably more plants. Though, giving it an extra moments thought, there might be some volumes on the dark arts in here. That gave Ren a momentary thrill.

In the far left corner was a stern looking, high backed chair in a deep mahogany that looked almost black in the lighting. It faced the empty center of the room and sported a tall, antique looking brass lamp with an olive coloured shade at its side.

Ren’s eye was drawn back to Hux as the other man slid some papers into his desk drawer. The black gloves he wore this time only went about halfway up his palms and fit just as snugly to his fingers as the last pair had. He was wearing another smart looking pair of slacks with plain, knee high boots and a half buttoned charcoal blazer over a kelp green dress shirt.  

“How did you end up with a place like this? This is private, isn’t it?” The lilt of confusion was evident in Ren’s voice as his brow scrunched up.

“A little threat here, a little money there. Perhaps a dark ward or two and a bit of mind control.” He straightened his blazer, speaking with that same overly casual tone as he stood with perfect posture and answered. Ren felt a rising tension inside himself at the thought that Hux had used dark magic to get himself such a comfortable private study in the school. Did that mean he’d manipulated Leia? He’d think about that more later, when he wasn’t practically sparking with anticipation.

“But you’re not here to get to know me, you’re here to find out what I do and how to do it. On that note, I am also not someone who likes to waste time, so let us get started.” He bent over and opened the bottom drawer of his desk, then reached in and pulled out a thick, leather bound handle. As he drew it up from the drawer, several long strips of the same material were revealed and Ren felt his stomach tighten at the sight. Hux laid it on the desk and turned to Kylo.

“We will start with something extremely fundamental today, you may even enjoy it if you’re a certain kind of person.” The weight of his words were punctuated by his fingers working open the buttons of his blazer, and sliding it off. The dark fabric draped nicely over the back of his padded leather desk chair and Ren made note of how the shoulder pads broadened the slighter man’s shoulders deceptively.

“If you are half as intelligent as I hope you are, and having asked around, it seems you are, you’ll already have figured out that in order to harness the kind of power you’re seeking, you need to stop looking for it outside of yourself.” Hux undid his cuffs and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt to the elbow.

“Yes, I’ve used my own energy as a source before but…it wasn’t easy to control.” Ren admitted as he adjusted his cowl and watched Hux’s gloved fingers nimbly fold the green fabric up his forearms. Hux gave an approving little grin as he finished.

“Good, then this may not take as long as I thought. Remove your shirt and kneel in the center of the room.” Ren’s brows furrowed deeply at the command, but all Hux did was grin.

“I’ll explain. Go on.” He gestured loosely to the portion of the space he’d indicated in his directions. Ren still stared incredulously at the other man as he hesitantly began removing the scarf from around his neck.

“What I want you to do is concentrate on accumulating every bit of anger and pain I create in you, like you do when collecting that energy from the world around you as you cast. Breathe it in, bite it down, and form a reservoir of it in your gut. There’s more, but I will save that for later.” He reached down and picked up the nine-tailed whip, gripping it securely in his hand as Ren took the hem of his shirt and pulled it up over his head.

“Obviously, this is what I intend to use to help you.” That may have been a strange way of putting it but Ren laid his shirt on the desk.

“You’re planning to hit me with that, and you don’t think I’ll try to stop you?”

“Not at all. You said for yourself that you lack control. This is how you learn it.” Hux was quite serious about that statement, Ren could sense it in him. It interested him to know that even considering the difference in their stature and apparent physical strength, he did not intimidate Hux. Perhaps Hux was a more advanced caster than he thought and simply did not expect Kylo to stand up to him. Whatever it was, Ren made his choice and kneeled in the center of the open space, hands palm up in his lap. This was what he’d been wanting since meeting Hux, this is what he came here for.

Hux walked around to the front of him, experimentally twirling the whip in his grip as he looked down at Ren with an unreadable expression.

“Well? Get on with it.” Ren said, not appreciating being stared at for too long. That was something they seemed to have in common. Perhaps he was being a bit too brazen for someone about to be whipped by the man he was antagonizing, but Ren rarely thought his words through to that extent.

“Fine,” Hux’s tone revealed he was about as equally appreciative of Kylo’s abrasive attitude, “I expect you have a high tolerance for pain, if not, you will develop one.” Hux took a wide step around his kneeling companion, placing him directly behind Ren’s figure. Ren focused his eyes on the bookshelf ahead of himself, clenching his jaw in anticipation of the first strike. Would this really help him gain more control over his powers?

The first hit came and Ren was shocked by how light it was as the tails slapped against his right shoulder. A frown contorted his features, but he didn’t speak up just yet, not as the second hit came across his other shoulder blade. It was harder, the pain a little sharper, but it caused a shiver to travel down his spine in a way that Ren didn’t often feel. The back and forth continued, with Hux gradually increasing the strength behind his strikes as his wrist made a tight figure eight that moved up and down Ren’s back. A mix of sensations bubbled up inside of the dark haired man as he concentrated on taking the sting of his nerve endings and dragging it all towards a focal point, turning it into something good, something useful.

It wasn’t long before the astronomer’s hands went from relaxed and palm up to tensely digging fingers into his kneecaps. He started clenching his jaw, resisting the urge to wince as the pain increased. Despite that, there was something strangely relaxing about narrowing his mind down to a single bodily experience.

“Pull the pain into yourself. Wrap each thread of it up into a tangle of energy at your core. Don’t let any of it go, even while I keep going, take it all and keep it for yourself.” Hux’s voice had a subtle note of something heated as Ren’s struggle to restrain his vocal cords finally ended. A shout of agony was bit off and turned into a growl as his head dropped forward. He could feel his skin burning from the abuse, but no flesh had been truly broken, not yet at least.

Hux’s lashes were beginning to come too frequently, too severe, making Kylo cry out more than he wanted to. His control was wavering as it got worse. He could feel the strands of pain he had caught coming loose of the sphere he’d constructed within his consciousness. It manifested itself behind his sternum, creating a sensation like an expanding globe inside his chest. A sheen of sweat was starting to coat his untouched skin as he quickly came upon his breaking point.

Hux was giving full swings to his administered strikes and a rush of endorphins hit him each time, just as the tails graced Ren’s back. His perfectly kept hair had fallen a little out of place from all the moving about, but it suited him in his flushed state. He loved this, the power he felt, the rush of it. This wasn’t the kind of power he was telling Ren to contain though, it was of a more primal nature that. While he was sure he could harness it for later use in his studies, he preferred not to.

The whole thing came to a very sudden stop as everything shifted in Ren all at once. His focus on the rhythm of the lashes allowed him to time it perfectly. Before Hux could complete a full rotation of his wrist, Ren had snapped around and clamped his hand around the other man’s well-worked wrist. Hux froze, seeing the intense desire to return the pain he’d been given in Ren’s eyes.

“That’s it.” His hand shook as he resisted the pull of his counterpart. Hux’s eyes bore into Ren’s, almost as if he were physically seeing the manifestation of sensation and energy that was spitting and thrashing like a cornered cat inside him.

“You want it to stop? Don’t let that go. Stop collecting it, stop thinking about anything outside of what you’ve created inside of you and contain it. Stabilize it.” There was something frantic and excited about the hurried, yet calculated way Hux spoke to Kylo.

It was difficult for Ren to reel in his automatic desire to crush the wrist in his grasp, but once Hux’s voice started sounding like words again, instead of cloudy mutterings pushing through a haze of pain, he tried doing as directed. His eyelids flinched a few times before they shut completely. Only then was he able to start plucking at each frayed bit of power. It took some time, but he put everything back in it’s place, making his heart calm it’s racing speed and breathing resemble something normal once again. All the while, Hux was prompting him.

“Good, good…you’re getting it, I can feel the you calming.” Ren’s hand started to relax and Hux ignored the reality that he was going to have a bruise later. Kylo remained silent, still working on the last of the rampant energy.

“Hold it there. The last order I have for you today is to keep all that energy bottled tight. Do not use it, but maintain it, and don’t let it get out of control again, until I call you back. Do you understand?” Kylo had always used the energy he harvested from his body immediately; he had also not experienced something this intense. He was panting, but much more stable as he reopened his eyes and met Hux’s gaze.

“Yes, I do.” The air was thick with the weight of what they’d just done and it felt heavy on Ren’s shoulders as he rose from his knees. Hux looked pleased, but no longer smug.

“Good. You did better than I anticipated, but you have a lot left to learn. Await another message from me and do as I’ve directed.” He adjusted the half glove on the hand he had used to administer the lashings to his partner’s back. Ren’s eyes travelled down to it, swallowing the overly thick saliva that had gathered in his mouth. Even in the dim light, as his eyes skimmed the form of his companion, he noticed a distinct bulge that seemed to be well contained by perfectly form fitted layers of cloth.

Ren’s eyes quickly returned to Hux’s, which were staring at him already, awaiting his judgmental scrutiny after having noticed where Kylo’s eyes had ventured. There was a challenge there, one that asked Ren to try it, to try and ridicule him for his enjoyment of something so vicious, but Ren said nothing, did nothing. Instead, he broke their eye contact and walked around the ginger haired man without a word. His entire body was thrumming with barely contained energy and he needed to get out of this space right now. He needed the crisp night air to lick his burning skin.

Ren approached the desk to retrieve his shirt and gingerly pulled it on with a harsh hiss. Hux turned, watching, and for the first time, felt uncertain about Ren. He massaged the place where the other man’s hand had clamped down around him.

“Take care of your back, it won’t do any good to have you still raw when you receive my next call.” Ren wrapped his cowl around his neck and looked at the other man with an expression that sparked a certain, and unexpected, amount of reaction in the red haired botanist.

“I will be fine for our next meeting.” He stated, in a way that implied, even if he actually was not, he wouldn’t be letting Hux know.

“Yes, well, you are dismissed.” Hux thanked himself retroactively for having only put proper lighting at his desk, because this whole endeavor had him more flushed than he ever wanted to reveal he was capable of. Ren’s eyes did a sweep of Hux, who still held the whip in hand. There was a long moment while neither of them quite knew what to say next.

“Goodbye, Hux.” Ren finally muttered and ended the uncomfortable moment by pulling the door open, and closing it behind him.

This time, Hux listened carefully to Kylo’s footsteps as he walked past the shelves and exited again. The botanist sucked in a deep breath and closed his eyes as he held it, eventually exhaling all the confined, pent up heat within himself in the form of a delicate band of flame that crackled out of existence within seconds. He took a moment to stare hard at the door Ren had just left through. He would need to relieve himself as soon as he reached his dorm room.

While Hux collected his things and prepared to head home for the night, Ren’s mind was racing through every possible direction this night could have taken. Most of them ended in some kind of mutual release, often times on top of that polished desk. Ren didn’t know if Hux had realized that his pants were in a similarly strained state.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! Please leave me some comments to let me know how you think it's going. :]

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first shot at a Kylux fic, but I'm pretty excited to see how it turns out! I've got the whole thing drafted, so updates shouldn't be too sparse. Side note, the title is a line from the song Blood Hands by Royal Blood, which is a song I feel is quite fitting for this fic and what I have planned.


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